2600027
C.S. 20A
SAVINGRAM
1652
No.
...334
No.
Officer Administering the Government From the Governor, Hong Kong
Commonwealth Affairs,
the Secretary of State for XXXXOOX
Repeated to:—
Repeated to:—
Date............ 14.k
144 July, 196.7....
My Reference..TC...134/67.....(.2/5851/50...V.)
1ST
Your Reference.......
No.
(4) 0(5)
تاما
Loby
Sedgwick
HEGO
Your telegrams Nos. 1418 and 1419.
Appreciation of the Water Situation.
REGISTRAR'S OFFICE
17 JUL 1967
COMMONWEALTH OFFICE, DEPENDENT TERRITOMES
DIVISION.
The present storage position is unusually poor for the time of year. Normally reservoirs begin to refill in May and June, and are 70%-80% full by mid-July, as compared with 20% at present.
2.
The current severe water restrictions should, however, permit storage levels to recover during the remainder of the summer to the target level of 9,500 M.G. by the end of September, even if the summer is unusually dry.
3. Estimates of water yield from rainfall are more difficult in extreme weather conditions than in normal conditions, but it is envisaged that the September target will be achieved with as little as 25" for the July/ September period compared with the average of 40".
4.
If the September target is reached it will be possible to maintain 4 hours supply every fourth day, provided that consumption can be held down to about 45 M.G.D., which may be difficult, but experience in the next few weeks will allow a better assessment to be made.
5. There is a good chance that rainfall will be better than the minimum allowed for in these calculations. The Hong Kong Royal Observatory considers that the most likely rainfall is a bit below average, and the indica- tions are that July and August will be drier than average, and September and October wetter. This means that any relief from the present restrictions is unlikely until the end of September.
6.
If,
on the other hand, rainfall is even less than 25"
or if consumption cannot be kept down to about 45 M.G.D., it will be necessary to consider restricting domestic supply to say once a week. It might also be necessary to consider importing water by tanker, and although this seems unlikely and will be expensive and difficult to arrange in large quantities, preliminary consideration is already being given to the possibility.
7. Other positive steps which have been taken to increase storage are:-
RECEIVED IN ARCHEN~63
14004.70/
нудый How
(a) At the River Indus, where a large pumping station
already exists, additional pumps are being installed to take advantage of rainfall, and, as this river is tidal, saline water is being pumped whenever possible into the Tai Lam Chung reservoir, and will be pumped so long as the final salinity in
/the......
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